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This Battered Suitcase

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  • Start Here
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Travel

Flying Over the Okavango Delta

written by Brenna Holeman June 15, 2015

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 4

Leaving the tiny airport of Maun, Botswana

I didn’t really know what to expect when I flew to southern Africa last year. I knew I wanted to see an African elephant to celebrate my thirtieth birthday, and that was about it. Everything else seemed like a bonus.

After a week of partying and sightseeing in Cape Town, I joined a tour group in Johannesburg. From there, we would leave South Africa behind and cross into Botswana for an overland trip that would last eight days. I had no preconceptions of Botswana before I got there, not one image in my mind or a story I expected to unfold. Although I knew we’d be exploring and then camping in the Okavango Delta, I had never even heard of the area until I started researching my trip.

The days were hot and arid, and most of what we had seen by the time we got to the delta was through dust-covered bus windows. Botswana looked flat and dry from this view, and we had spotted very few animals. The entire country seemed to be an endless expanse of yellow earth, the horizon broken only by the low green shrubs and trees dotted along the highway. It was still interesting and beautiful, but I didn’t feel like I had seen all that Botswana could offer.

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 1

With one of the pilots

Nearly our entire group opted to take a scenic flight over the delta. We would be camping there for two days, swimming in its shallow pools and navigating its twisting arteries by dug-out canoe, but as an introduction to the area, we could choose to fly over it first. At around £150 for an hour flight, it seemed like a good deal. In the little airport in Maun we handed over our credit cards and our passports, then were shuttled six at a time to tiny airplanes basking in the heat on the runway.

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 6

I could tell we were all a bit nervous; small planes have a tendency to do that to even the bravest souls. We took off, quickly leaving the the small city of Maun behind us. Within minutes, the delta appeared, verdant and alive, a contrast to the dusty ground where we had spent the last few days. The water fanned out below, snaking its way through the lush landscapes. It seemed to go on forever, this vivid green against the blue of the sky.

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 2

But we were not here to see the land. Almost instantly, as we sat glued to our individual windows, we started spotting the wildlife that inhabits the delta, great numbers of giraffes and hippos and wildebeest, zebra and crocodiles and water buffalo,  all sort of animals I couldn’t even name let alone count. And then, looking down, I saw them: families of elephants walking and swimming across the delta, majestic even from that distance. It was my first ever sighting of African elephants, and why I came to Botswana. Although it was nearly impossible to take clear photos of the animals, seeing them like this, wild and free, is one of my favourite memories during my travels.

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 3

Water buffalo in the Okavango Delta

When we first saw the delta, everyone on our plane started shouting out the animals we saw, overcome by excitement and joy. But after a few minutes we all settled back and stopped talking, content to just watch the world below us unfold, in awe of this beautiful planet from our bird’s eye view.

Flight Over the Okavango Delta 5

If you are in Botswana I highly recommend visiting the Okavango Delta and taking one of the scenic flights. There are a few companies that operate through the airport in Maun; flight times vary depending on the season, so do your research beforehand or book with a tour company before arriving. 

Have you ever taken a scenic flight like this? What did you see?

AdventureAfricaBotswanaPhoto Essay
17 comments
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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17 comments

nadaCliché June 15, 2015 - 5:04 pm

Such a magical place! I didn’t know these flights were available, I definitely want to experience this on my next visit to the delta. Sounds incredible, good work.

Shawn
#nadaCliche

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 15, 2015 - 6:28 pm

Thanks, Shawn! I definitely recommend the flight, it was indeed magical.

Reply
Tash June 15, 2015 - 9:41 pm

How wonderful, must feel amazing to see the animals just going about their business out in the wild like that, and all without their knowing.
On a side note, I really need to stop reading this blog because my list of places I NEED to visit is getting out of control!

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 18, 2015 - 2:33 pm

Ha ha… oh dear… please keep reading?! And yes, it was indeed amazing. Thanks for your comment, Tash!

Reply
Paula June 16, 2015 - 12:08 am

While doing an Australian roadtrip we took a scenic flight over the Kymberlys to see Lake Argyle, the world’s biggest diamond mine and the Bungle Bungles. The 2-hour flight with only 5people was incredible, however it’s not an experience for every pocket.

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 18, 2015 - 2:32 pm

Oh wow, I’m sure that was amazing! I know that these things are expensive, but I always feel that I can justify it…

Reply
Camille June 16, 2015 - 12:48 am

It’s one my biggest dreams to see animals in the wild in Africa. I’ve never been on a flight like this, mostly because I’m terrified of small aircraft! It has to be a great way to get perspective on the layout of the area you’re visiting.

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 18, 2015 - 2:32 pm

I’ve been on a few small flights like this and I promise they’re not as bad as they look! I hope you get to see the animals in Africa soon… there are lots of ways to view them other than airplanes!

Reply
Jesse June 17, 2015 - 3:00 pm

I wish there was someway to capture those sights – scenery and animals from a distance never look the same as they do in real life. But then again, if we could get it just right, these experiences might not mean as much.

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 18, 2015 - 2:31 pm

I agree, Jesse… I think that that might take away from the experience. I’m sometimes grateful when I try to take a few photos and they don’t work out… then I know I can just put the camera away and enjoy what I’m seeing. I think so often we are watching the world through our cameras/phones instead of actually observing it in real time!

Reply
michael bassett www.bassetthouseinn.com March 13, 2016 - 5:34 pm

some enjoyable reading and comments on this fine day in the hamptons
have enjoyed traveling thru your story’s

would love to see some of your photos
Michael bassett

Reply
Helen June 18, 2015 - 8:24 pm

Aw, amazing!!! Would love to do this… maybe not the teeny tiney plane part, but the view yes! xx

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 19, 2015 - 4:46 pm

Thank you for all of your help before I went… you inspired me to choose Botswana! x

Reply
Zalie July 1, 2015 - 12:22 am

What an incredible experience!

Reply
Esther July 8, 2015 - 8:02 pm

I also took a flight over the Delta, and amazing as it was, I didn’t see much of it, I got airsick! In the beginning I was just fine, spotting animals and all, but it got really hot in the plane, and I got pretty nausious(?). So unless it is to jump out of it with a parachute instructor and canopy strapped to my back, I don’t think I will get in to such a small plane again.

Reply
Pieter June 23, 2016 - 11:53 am

Please confirm what packages you have for flights over the Delta. We are two adults and two children.

Reply
Brenna Holeman June 27, 2016 - 4:58 pm

I’m a blogger… I don’t sell packages.

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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This Battered Suitcase is not only about the where and the how of travel, it's about the who and the why.

Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

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